Actuating means for well tools



Dec. 3, 1968 a. P. NUTTER ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Filed March 6, 1967 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Ben hm? E Na/Zev- Dec. 3, 1968 NUTTER 3,414,059

ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Dec. 3, 1968 B. P. NUTTER ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELLTOOLS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 6, 1967 W. E W m m m a w w a \v QQ QQQQ ///A 3, 1968 v a. P. NUTTER 3,414,059

ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Filed March 6, 1967 9 Sheets-Sheet 4' J U 59/2/0777? 1? lVuZZer INVENTOR.

B. F. NUTTER Dec. 3, 1968 ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 6, 1967 Ben/am? Y ATTO/M Dec. 3, 1968 B. P. NUTTER 3,414,059

ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Filed March 6, 1967 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 fiexy'am/n f? A/u fzer 206 INVEN TOR ATTORNE Ike. 3, 1968 B. P. NUTTER 'ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TodLs 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed March 6, 1967 Esq/am; l? A uzz er INVENTOR United States Patent 3,414,059 ACTUATING MEANS FOR WELL TOOLS Benjamin P. Nutter, Houston, Tex., assignor to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed Mar. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 620,943 54 Claims. (Cl. 166-150) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure describes actuating means for well tools having relatively rotatable inner and outer telescopically arranged members. A threaded member, such as 'a nut, is disposed in the annular space between the telescoped members between two spaced stops on one of the members such as, for example, the outer member. Threads on the other member, for example the inner member, are normally engaged with the threaded member. So long as the threaded member remains in its normal position relative to the threads, the other member cannot be moved over a longitudinal span any greater than allowed by the spaced stops. Means are provided for retarding longitudinal movement of the other member in a direction toward one of the stops. Thus, upon relative rotation of the telescoped members, the threaded member will be moved in the opposite direction along the threads until it engages the second stop. This will permit the telescoped members to then be moved in a different longitudinal span.

Accordingly, as will subsequently become apparent, this invention relates to well tools; and, more particularly, this invention pertains to new and improved actuating means for selectively placing Well tools into a plurality of distinctive operating positions with only a minimum of different manipulations.

It is customary to employ a number of different fullbore tools coupled into one string for such well-testing and well-completion operations as testing earth formations under both flowing and static conditions, squeezecementing, acidizing, and fluid fracturing. As is typical, such a string of full-bore tools includes a full-bore packer for packing-off the well bore, a bypass valve for selectively con-trolling communication between the well bore annulus and the interior of the tubing string, and a selectively operable valve for controlling communication into the lower end of the tubing string. To shift these tools into position to conduct such operations as well as to go from one operation to another, the tubing string is generally used to manipulate each of the tools into various relative positions.

It will be recognized, of course, that as the number of operations to be performed by a particular string of tools increases, a correspondingly increasing number of different manipulations of the tubing string are required to move the tools into their various operating positions. In general, the only basic manipulative movements are limited to either a longitudinal shifting in either vertical direction or else rotation in one or the other rotative direction.

Those skilled in the art recognize, however, that it is not always feasible to use even all four of these basic manipulations. For example, many operators object to socalled left-hand torque since rotation in this direction may inadvertently unthread one or more of the collars coupling the tubing string. Moreover, it is not too desirable to operate a Well tool by continued right-hand rotation where only a predetermined number of revolutions establishes the particular operating positions of the tool. For, in addition to the possibility that some of this righthand torque may only further tighten the collars coupling the tubing string, the inherent capability of the tubing string to absorb a certain amount of torque usually makes it quite difiicult, if not altogether impossible, to determine from the surface whether a predetermined number of rotations have been faithfully translated through the tubing string to a tool several thousands of feet therebelow. In such instances, it is best not to over-rotate the upper end of the tubing string just to be sure that a particular number of rotations have in fact reached the tool at the lower end of the string.

Thus, for these and other reasons, whenever several operating positions must be assumed by the tools, at least some manipulative movements must be duplicated and the operator must depend upon variations and degrees in these few movements to distinguish which operative positions the tools are in. Accordingly, many well tools of this nature are so arranged. that they are operated by shifting the tool mandrels into various longitudinally spaced positions, with only a minimum number of these operating positions being reached by rotating the mandrels. Typical of such control arrangements is a so-called J -slot system in which a lateral pin projecting from. one of the relatively movable members of a tool is received within a labyrinth arrangement of grooves formed on an adjacent surface of another member. By providing several longitudinally space branch portions in such J-slot grooves, a variety of distinct operating positions are obtained by shifting the well tool mandrel longitudinally in either direction either with or without an accompanying rotative movement.

Although such J-slo-t systems are widely used, they are nevertheless still recognized as having certain disadvantages. For example, it is difficult to devise compatible J- slot arrangements for each of several tools in a common string that will enable one tool in the string to be moved into some of its operative positions without simultaneously shifting at least one of the other tools into an unwanted position. This problem becomes even more complicated when it is realized that it is sometimes desired to move two tools in conjunction with one another at one point in a given sequence of operations; but, at other points in the same sequence, it may be preferred that only one of these tools move without a corresponding movement of the other tool.

Accordingly, is is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved well tools having control or actuating means which permit these tools to be selectively placed in a plurality of distinctive operating positions with only a minimum of different manipulations. This and other objects of the present invention are obtained by arranging an expansible gripping member between inner and outer telescoped members in such a fashion that the expansible gripping member will be securely engaged with one of the telescoped members and be free to move longitudinally relative to the other telescoped member between longitudinally spaced shoulders thereon. Motion-retarding means are preferably provided to delay longitudinal travel of the one telescoped member relative to the other for a period of time sufficient for the one member to be rotated relative to the expansible gripping member and bring a different portion of that one member into gripping engagement with the expansible member. In this manner, the one telescoped member is free to b shifted longitudinally relative to the other telescoped member through a plurality of longitudinal spans as determined by the relative length of the expansible member as 'well as the longitudinal spacing between the shoulders. These various positions are accomplished with only longitudinal movement and unidirectional rotation of the one telescoped member.

The novel features of the present invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by way of illustration and example of certain embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a typical string of Well tools in a well bore including a tool employing the principles of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-2D are successive elevational views, partially in cross-section, of one embodiment of a well tool arranged in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 3-3 and 44 respectively in FIG. 2A;

FIGS. 5A-5F are somewhat schematic views of the well tool shown in FIGS. 2A2D and depict its successive operating positions;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a portion of another embodiment of a well tool that may employ the positioning means of the present invention;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 7 and 8 respectively in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of one embodiment of pressure-measuring apparatus that is releasably secured in either of the tools depicted in FIGS. 2A-2D or in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 shows a typical string of well tools in a well bore including another embodiment of a well tool arranged in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 11A-11C are successive views showing in detail the well tool depicted in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 5A but showing still another embodiment of a well tool with positioning means in accordance with the present invention.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a number of full-bore well tools 23 are shown tandemly connected to one another and dependently coupled from the lower end of a string of pipe, such as a tubing string 24, suspended in a cased well bore 25. At the lower end of these tools, a conventional full-bore packer 23 is arranged for selectively packing-off the casing 25. A typical hydraulic holddown 22 is coupled to the mandrel 26 of the packer 23 and arranged to engage the casing 25 to secure the mandrel against the upward movement whenever the packer is set and fluid pressure within the tubing string 24 exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the well control fluids in the well annulus. A typical bypass valve 21, coupled by a tubing sub 27 above the holddown 22, is suitably arranged to open and facilitate shifting of the tools 20-23 within the fluid-filled casing 25 by diverting a substantial portion of the fluids through the central bore of the retracted packer 23. Connected at the upper end of the string of tools 20-23 is a tool 20 incorporating the principles of the present invention. Although the tools 2123 may be those shown on page 3057 of the l96061 Composite Catalog of Field Equipment and Services, it will be understood, of course, that other tools of a similar nature may be used in conjunction with the tool 20.

Turning now to FIGS. 2A-2D, successive elevational views, with each being partially in cross-section, are shown of the tool 20. The tool 20 includes a tubular mandrel 28 telescopically disposed within a tubular housing 29 and arranged in accordance with the present invention for selective longitudinal movement therein between an extended position as shown in FIGS. 2A-2D, one or more intermediate positions, and a fully telescoped position as subsequently described with reference to FIGS. SA-SF. A threaded collar 30 (FIG. 2A) on the upper end of the mandrel 28 has threads 31 arranged for coupling to the tubing string 24 (FIG. 1), with the central bore 32 (FIGS. 2A-2D) of the mandrel having substantially the same internal diameter as that of the tubing string. Similarly, threads 33 (FIG. 2D) on the lower end of the housing 29 are arranged for coupling the tool 20 to the other well tools therebelow such as the bypass valve 21 shown in FIG. 1.

In general, the tool 20 includes first and second valve means 34 and 35 (FIG. 2C) of a suitable nature that are each selectively opened and closed by shifting the mandrel 28 between different longitudinal positions with respect to the housing 29. The valve means 34 and 35 are preferably those shown in a copending application Ser. No. 620,841, filed by the applicant on the same day as the present application. For establishing these longitudinal positions, means, such as movement-retarding means 36 (FIG. 2B) and the selectively operable positioning means 37 (FIG. 2A) of the present invention, are provided. Clutch means 38 are also provided to permit selective application of torque from the mandrel 28 through the housing 29 to the other tools 2123 when the mandrel is in certain ones of its positions. Biasing means 39 (FIG. 2B) are preferably provided to maintain a downward force on the housing 29 to assist in keeping the packer 23 seated while the mandrel 28 is being moved as well as to apply an upward force on the mandrel to keep the clutch means 38 engaged whenever the mandrel is in its uppermost extended position with respect to the housing.

Turning now to FIG. 2A, the uppermost portion of the tool 20 is shown. As seen there, the clutch means 38 are arranged to co-rotatively secure the mandrel 28 to the housing 29 when the mandrel is in either its lowermost or fully telescoped position or is in its uppermost or extended position relative to the housing. The clutch means 38 are comprised of an annular member 40 that is corotatively secured over the collar 30 on the upper end of the mandrel 28 and has one or more depending lugs 41 thereon adapted for reception in a corresponding number of upwardly facing longitudinal slots 42 in the upper end of the housing 29 whenever the mandrel is in its lowermost position relative thereto. A threaded ring 43 is threadedly secured to the collar 30 above the member 40 to retain the annular member in position as Well as to facilitate its removal for disengaging the lugs 41 from the slots 42 after the tool 20 is removed from the well bore 25.

:The clutch means 38 are further comprised of an annular member 44 slidably mounted in the uppermost end ofthehousing 29 and co-rotatively secured thereto as by external longitudinal grooves adapted to receive complementary longitudinal splines 45 projecting inwardly from the internal wall of the housing. Stop means, such as aninwardly directed housing shoulder 46 above the annular member 44 and inwardly projecting screws 47 in the housing 29' that are received in longitudinal slots 48 in the annular member, are provided to limit the downward longitudinal travel of the annular member. External longitudinal splines 49 (FIG. 2A) on the mandrel 28 and immediately above an external shoulder 50 thereon are adapted for reception in complementary longitudinal spline grooves 51 (FIG. 3) in the internal wall of the annular member 44.

Means, such as a spring 52 between the housing shoulder 46 and the upper end of the annular member 44, are provided to normally urge the annular member downwardly against the lower stop 47 but permit it to retrogress should the mandrel splines 49 not be in registry with their complementary grooves 51 as the mandrel 28 is being moved upwardly. It will be understood, of course, that even though the mandrel splines 49 may not be initially in alignment with the spline grooves 51, rotation of the mandrel 28 in either direction will quickly bring the splines into orientation with their grooves and the spring 52 will then urge the annular clutch member 44 downwardly over the splines.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that so long as the mandrel 28 is in its extended position (as seen in FIGS. 2A-"2D) with respect to the housing 29, the mandrel is co-rotatively secured thereto by the clutch means 38. Downward movement of the mandrel 28 into one of its intermediate positions with respect to the housing 29, will, however, shift the mandrel splines 49 out of the spline grooves 51 and allow the mandrel to be rotated relative to the housing until the mandrel reaches its fully telescoped or lowermost position. The mandrel 28 will again be co-rotatively secured to the housing 29, however, once it is moved to its lowermost position and the lugs 41 enter the slots 42.

The position-establishing means 37 of the present invention are shown in FIG. 2A below the clutch means 38 as being comprised of radially expansible gripping means such as two segmented split-nuts 53 and 54 placed at longitudinally spaced positions in a housing recess or the annular clearance space 55 between the mandrel 28 and the housing 29. As best seen in FIG. 4, means, such as longitudinal splines 56 on each of the segments of the nuts 53 and 54 and complementary interlocked in grooves 57 in the internal wall of the housing 29, are provided to corotatively secure the split-nuts to the housing. As seen in FIG. 2A, to limit the longitudinal travel of the lower splitnut 54, means, such as inwardly directed housing shoulders 58 and 59 above and below the nut, respectively, are provided. The upper split-nut 53 is held against longitudinal movement by an annular spacer 60 on top of the nut that is engaged with the housing 29 and an inwardly directed shoulder 61 below the nut.

Oppositely directed buttress threads 62 and 63 are appropriately spaced at longitudinal intervals around the mandrel 28 and respectively arranged for selective engagement with complementary threads in the nuts 53 and 54 in certain longitudinal positions of the mandrel. The upper mandrel threads 62 are faced upwardly and, in the tool 20 depicted in FIGS. 2A-2D, are preferably so-called lefthand threads arranged to threadedly engage the downwardly facing threads in the upper split-nut 53. With this arrangement, downward longitudinal movement of the mandrel 28 will allow the upper mandrel threads 62 to be ratcheted freely into the upper split-nut 53 but prevent upward longitudinal movement of the mandrel until it is rotated in a clockwise or right-hand direction to unthread the upper mandrel threads from the upper split-nut. Similarly, the lower mandrel threads 63 are faced downwardly and are so-called right-hand threads. To accommodate the lower mandrel threads 63, the threads in the lower split-nut 5 4 are faced upwardly. Thus, release of the mandrel threads 63 from the lower splitnut 54 for downward movement of the mandrel 28 can be accomplished only by rotating the mandrel in a clockwise direction tounthread these members. It will be appreciated, of course, that by facing the mandrel threads 63 and those in the lower split-nut 54 in opposite directions, upward movement of the mandrel 28 will cause the lower mandrel threads to freely ratchet through the lower split-nut.

For reasons that will subsequently become more apparent, the lower mandrel threads 63 are normally engaged with the lower split-nut 54 and the upper threads 62 are normally disengaged from the upper split-nut 53 and spaced a particular distance thereabove. Thus, with the lower mandrel threads 63 engaged with the lower splitnut 54 as shown in FIG. 2A, the mandrel 28 is free to travel longitudinally with respect to the housing 29 only so far as is permitted by the distance between the spaced housing shoulders 58 and 59 respectively above and below the lower split-nut. Similarly, as will also subsequently become apparent, whenever the upper mandrel threads 62 are threadedly engaged with the upper split-nut 53, the mandrel 28 will be secured in its lowermost telescoped position and cannot be returned to its intermediate or extended positions since the upper split-nut is held by the spacer 60 and the co-engagement of the lugs 41 and slots 42 prevent further rotation of the mandrel with respect to the housing 29. It will be recalled that the lugs 41 cannot be disengaged from the slots 42 until the tool 20 is returned to the surface and the threaded collar 43 is removed to permit disengagement of the clutch member 40.

Turning now to FIG. 2B, the intermediate portion of the tool 20 is shown in which are located the pressurebiasing means 39 and the movement-retarding means 36.

The pressure-biasing means 39 are comprised of an enlarged-diameter shoulder 64 on the mandrel 28 that is fluidly sealed, as by O-rings 65, within a reduced-diameter portion .66 of the housing 29 above an external housing port 67 and an annular slidable piston member 68 that is around the mandrel above its enlarged-diameter shoulder 64 and below another external housing port 69. O-rings 70 and 71, respectively, inside and outside of the slidable piston 68 fluidly seal the piston to the mandrel 28 and housing 29 so as to provide a fluid-tight annular space 72 between the piston and the enlarged-diameter mandrel shoulder 64, which space is normally at atmospheric pressure. A spring 73 between an inwardly directed housing shoulder 74 and the upper end of the piston 68 normally urges the piston downwardly against a shoulder 75 defined by the upper end of the reduced-diameter housing portion 66.

It will be recognized that well control fluids will enter the ports 69 and 67 above the piston 68 and below the enlarged-diameter mandrel portion 64 as the tool 20 is being used. Inasmuch as the annular space 72 is normally at atmospheric pressure, the hydrostatic pressure of the well control fluids will therefore tend to lift the mandrel 28 by a force equal to the difference between the hydrostatic and atmospheric pressures multiplied by the annular cross-sectional area of the enlarged-diameter mandrel shoulder 64 itself. The cross-sectional area of the mandrel 28 itself will, of course, be subjected to both upwardly and downwardly acting pressure forces. Similarly, the piston 68 will be urged downwardly against the housing shoulder 75 by a force equal to the difference between the hydrostatic and atmospheric pressures multiplied by the annular cross-sectional area bounded by O-rings 65 and 71.

Thus, it will be appreciated that since the mandrel 28 is urged upwardly by this unbalanced pressure force, a force at least greater than this upwardly directed pressure force must be applied to the mandrel in order to move it downwardly relative to the housing 29. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the downwardly acting pressure force on the piston 68 is effective through the housing shoulder 75 to impose a corresponding downwardly directed force thereon which will be transmitted through the housing to the mandrel 26 of the packer 23 (FIG. 1) to assist in keeping the packer seated.

Although the piston 68 could be made an integral portion of the housing 29, it is preferred to make it a separate member as shown in FIG. 2B and to provide a small lateral port 76 in the housing immediately above the normal position of the external O-ring 71. In this manner, should well control fluids leak into the enclosed annular space 72, as the tool 20 is being removed from the well bore 25, any excessive pressure in the enclosed space 72 will be vented through the port 76 whenever this trapped'pressure is sufficient to lift the piston 68 against the restraint of the spring 73 a sufficient distance to move the O-ring 71 above the port 76. This arrangement also insures that the mandrel 28 can be returned upwardly should fluids leak into the space 72 after the mandrel is lowered. Otherwise, the piston 68 could just as well be made an integral portion of the housing 29.

The movement-retarding means 36 are comprised of a sleeve 77 loosely disposed between longitudinally spaced, enlarged-diameter portions 78 and 79 of the mandrel 28, with only a limited annular clearance 80 being left between the mandrel and sleeve and a very minute annular clearance 81 being left between the sleeve and inner wall of the housing 29. Means, such as a compression spring 82 between the sleeve 77 and the lower enlarged-diameter mandrel portion 79, normally urge the sleeve upwardly against the upper enlarged-diameter mandrel portion 78. An O-ring 83 (FIG. 20) around the internal wall of an inwardly facing shoulder 84 in the housing 29 fluidly seals the mandrel 28 and housing relative to one another and defines a fluid-tight space 85 therebetween below the sleeve 77. An annular piston 86 (FIG. 2B) having internal and external O-rings 87 and 88 is provided just below the housing port 67 to fluidly seal the housing 29 relative to the mandrel 28 and define a second fluid-tight space 89 therebetween above the sleeve 77. In this manner, the separate fluid-tight spaces 85 and 89 are able to communicate with one another only by way of the annular clearance spaces 80 and 81 inside of and around the sleeve 77 respectively. A suitable hydraulic fluid, such as an oil or the like, fills the fluid-tight spaces 85 and 89.

It will be appreciated that the hydrostatic pressure of the well control fluids will be effective through the port 67 against the piston 86 to maintain the oil in the spaces 85 and 89 at the same pressure. Accordingly, the speed of longitudinal movement of the mandrel 28 with respect to the housing 29 will be governed by the rate at which the oil can be displaced from one to the other of the fluid-tight spaces 85 and 89. Downward movement of the mandrel 28 with respect to the housing 29 will, of course, maintain the lower face 90 of the upper enlarged-diameter mandrel portion 78 tightly engaged against the adjacent upper face 91 of the sleeve 77. By appropriately machining the abutting surfaces 90 and 91 of the shoulder 78 and sleeve 77, a metal-to-metal seat is effected to close the internal annular space 80 and make the minute external annular clearance space 81 the only flow path by which oil can be transferred from the lower space 85 to the upper space 89 as the mandrel 28 is moved downwardly. In this manner, the time required to move the mandrel 28 downwardly with respect to the housing 29 will be directly related to the dimensions of the external annular clearance space 81 and the viscosity of the oil in the fluid-tight spaces 85 and 89. If it is desired, the lower space 85 may be slightly enlarged, as at 92, so that whenever the mandrel 28 has moved downwardly at this controlled rate a predetermined distance with respect to the housing 29, it can continue moving further downwardly with added relative freedom.

To permit fairly rapid upward movement of the mandrel 28 with respect to the housing 29, the internal clearance space 80 between the sleeve 77 and mandrel is made somewhat larger than the external clearance space 81. It will be understood, of course, that the spring 82 is not sufliciently strong to keep the sleeve end 91 abutted against its mating surface 90 on the shoulder 78 whenever the mandrel 28 is being moved upwardly. Thus, whenever the mandrel 28 is pulled upwardly with respect to the housing 29, the sleeve 77 will shift slightl downwardly and move the seating surfaces 90 and 91 apart so as to allow oil from the upper space 89 to pass relatively free between these surfaces, through the larger annular clearance 80, and on into the lower fluid-tight space 85.

Turning now to FIGS. 2C and 2D, the lowermost portion of the tool 20 is shown in which are located the first and second valve means 34 and 35 (FIG. 2C). The internal diameter of this portion of the housing 29 is preferably increased to provide an enlarged bore, as at 93, below the enclosed space 85 and above an upwardly directed housing shoulder 94 (FIG. 2D) near the lower end of the housing.

The first valve means 34 (FIG. 2C) are preferably arranged as a telescoping sleeve valve adapted to control fluid communication between the enlarged housing bore 93 and the internal bore 32 of the mandrel 28 so long as the second valve means 35 therebelow are closed. These first valve means 34 include a coaxially arranged tubular member 95 that is dependently secured within the housing 29 and extended downwardly into the enlarged housing bore 93. Lateral ports 96 in the mandrel 28 are adapted to be moved into registry with corresponding lateral ports 97 in the coaxially arranged tubular member 95 whenever the mandrel is moved into one of its intermediate longitudinal positions with respect to the housing 29. O-rings 98 and 99 respectively above and below the mandrel ports fluidly seal the mandrel 28 rela- 8 tive to the tubular member to block flow through the ports 96 and 97 whenever they are not in registration in the other positions of the mandrel.

The second valve means 35 preferably include a spherical valve member 100 having an axial passageway 101 therethrough along one of its central axes that is sized to correspond at least approximately to the internal mandrel bore 32. The ball member 100 is operatively disposed between a pair of opposed, longitudinally spaced, annular seats 102 and 103 having complementary spherical seating surfaces. One of the valve seats 102 is coaxially mounted in a complementary counterbore in the lowermost end of the mandrel 28 between a pair of depending longitudinal lugs 104 (only one seen) extending downwardly from the lower end of the mandrel 28 on opposite sides of the seat. The ball member 100 is pivotally supported between the free ends of these depending lugs 104 about another of its central axes by appropriately located transverse pivots 105 (only one seen) that are so positioned that the ball member will remain seated on the seat 102 as the ball moves between its open and closed positions. The axis of these pivots 105 is, of course, perpendicular to the central axis of the passageway 101 so that as the ball member 100 is pivoted, the passageway will move into and out of registration with the valve seat 102.

The other valve seat 103 is coaxially mounted in an upwardly facing, complementary counterbore 106 in the upper end of an elongated tubular member 107 that is loosely disposed immediately below the ball member 100 in the enlarged housing bore 93 and fluidly sealed therein by an O-ring 108 around its upper end. The valve seat 103 is preferably supported in its receptive counterbore 106 by a spring 109 and fluidly sealed therein by an O-ring 110.

A pair of upwardly extending lugs 111 and 112 (only one lug of each pair seen) are arranged on the upper end of the tubular member 107 opposite sides of the valve seat 103 to straddle the ball member 100, with each of these lugs being laterally displaced from the central axis and extended upwardly alongside the opposite sides of the depending lugs 104. Each associated set of the lugs 104, 111 and 112 are so arranged that their opposed longitudinal edges, as at 113 and 114, are in juxtaposition with one another. Inwardly projecting transverse pins 115 (only one seen) on the free ends of the lower lugs 111 are disposed parallel to the axis of the pivots 105 but longitudinally spaced therebelow and slightly offset to one side. The free ends of these pins 115 are each confined within fairly short, inclined grooves 116 (only one seen) formed in the adjacent external surfaces of the ball member 100. It will be noted that the pivots 1.05 normally support the ball member 100 off of the lower seat 103 so as to leave an annular clearance, as at 117, therebetween so long as the ball member is in its closed position as seen in FIG. 2C.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that whenever the ball member 100 is moved toward the tubular member 107 and valve seat 103, the ball will be pivoted by the pins 115 and slots 116 about its pivots 105 in a clockwise direction as seen in the drawings. It will be realized, of course, that the cooperative engagement of the juxtaposed edges 113 and 114 of the lugs 104, 111 and 112 will prevent the mandrel 28 and the tubular member 107 from rotating relative to one another and limit their relative motion to rectilinear travel. The inclined grooves 116 must, of course, be of sufiicient length to accommodate the transverse pins 115 whenever the ball member 100 has rotated midway between its fully-closed and its fullyopen positions.

Biasing means are provided such as a compression spring 118 (FIG. 2D) that is disposed around the tubular member 107 between spaced, annular abutment members 119 and 120 slidably disposed thereon and supported by an external shoulder 121 on the lower end of the tubular member 107. An inwardly directed housing shoulder 122 is suitably located to normally engage the upper face of the upper abutment 119 whenever the tool 20 is in the position shown in FIGS. 2A-2D.

It will be noted that in this position of the tool 20, the lower face of the lower abutment 121 is spaced above the housing shoulder 94 a distance equal to the longitudinal spacing of the ports 96 and 97 when they are in the position shown in FIG. 2C. Similarly, this same longitudinal spacing is maintained between the upper face of the upper abutment 119 and the lower face 123 of an enlarged-diameter portion or shoulder 124 at the upper end of the tubular member 107. The shoulder 124 is, of course, suitably sized to pass freely through the annular housing shoulder 122. Moreover, for reasons that will subsequently become apparent, these longitudinal spacings are greater than and, preferably, about double the maximum longitudinal spacing between the upper face. of the housing shoulder 59 and the lower face of the lower split-nut 54 (FIG. 2A) when this split-nut is engaged with the lower portion of the mandrel threads 63.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that when the mandrel 28 is in its extended position with respect to the housing 29 as shown in FIGS. 2A-2D, both valve means 34 and 35 will be closed. However, by moving the mandrel 28 downwardly with respect to the housing 29 the above-mentioned longitudinal distance to one of its intermediate positions (to be subsequently described in greater detail), the first valve means 34 will be opened to provide fluid communication from the enlarged housing bore 93, through the clearance at 117 and the ports 96 and 97, and on into the central bore 32 of the mandrel 28. The second valve means 35 are, of course, still closed in this intermediate position of the mandrel 28. Similarly, as will be subsequently described with greater detail, further downward movement of the mandrel 28 (this same longitudinal distance) will reclose the first valve means 34 and open the second valve means 35 as the mandrel reaches its lowermost, telescoped position. In this latter position, a full-opening passage is provided through the tool 20 since the passageway 101 in the ball member 100 will have been rotated into alignment with the central mandrel bore 32.

Turning now to FIGS. SA-SF, the tool 20 is schematically represented to illustrate each of its various positions during the course of a typical operating sequence. To facilitate the explanation of the positioning means 37 of the invention, the movement-retarding means 36 and biasing means 39 have not been shown in FIGS. 5A-5F.

It will be understood, however, that downward travel of the mandrel 28 will be regulated by the movement-retarding means 36 until the top of the sleeve 77 has entered the enlarged space 92 (FIG. 2B). Similarly, it should be kept in mind that the biasing means 39 will be effective to provide an upwardly directed force on the mandrel 28 and to apply an equal, but downwardly directed, force on the housing 29 during the entire operation of the tool 20.

In FIG. 5A, the tool is shown with the mandrel 28 being in its uppermost extended position with respect to the housing 29 as already described with reference to FIGS. 2A-2D. The first and second valve means 34 and are closed to block fluid communication through the mandrel bore 32 as the tools 20-23 are moved into position in the cased well bore 25 (FIG. 1). It will also be noted from FIG. 5A that although the upper clutch member is disengaged, the lower clutch member 44 is engaged to permit rotation to be applied from the tub ing string 24, through the tool 20, and onto the other tools 21-23 therebelow. Accordingly, with the tool of the present invention secured in the position depicted in FIG. 5A, the tools 20-23 can be brought into position at any desired depth in the cased well bore 25.

Once the tools 20-23 have reached a desired position in the well bore 25, they are momentarily halted and the tubing string 24 is manipulated as required to set the packer 23 and close the bypass valve 21. Although other tools may utilize different movements for their operation, it is preferred to arrange the bypass valve 21 and packer 23 so that their respective position-establishing means, such as J-slot systems (not shown), in each tool will work in cooperation to close the bypass valve as the packer is being set. Accordingly, with the tools 21 and 23 having cooperative J-slot systems arranged in this manner, the tubing string 24 is picked up slightly and torqued in a clockwise direction to unjay the bypass valve and packer. Then, by slacking-01f at least part of the weight of the tubing string 24, the packer 23 will be set and the bypass valve 21 closed. It will be recalled that the mandrel 28 cannot move downwardly relative to the housing 29 until the upward force provided on the mandrel by the biasing means 39 is overcome.

Once the packer 23 is set, it will be appreciated that it is capable of supporting the full weight of the tools 20-22 and tubing string 24 thereabove. The housing 29 of the tool 20 will, of course, now be fixed relative to the casing 25 until the packer 23 is unseated. It will be recalled, moreover, that the biasing means 39 will also be effective to maintain a substantial downward force through the housing 29 to aid in holding the packer 23 seated. Thus, the mandrel 28 of the tool 20 will now be capable of being moved relative to the now-stationary housing 29 by corresponding motions of the tubing string 24 to bring the tool into itsvarious operating positions.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 53, application of weight to the mandrel 23 for setting the packer 23 will carry the mandrel a short distance downwardly (as shown by arrow until the lower split-nut 54 engages the upwardly facing shoulder 59, This downward movement will, however, be retarded by the motion-retarding means 36 and furthermore will require sufiicient weight on the mandrel 28 to at least overcome the upwardly directed force on the mandrel provided by the biasing means 39. It will be noted from FIG. 5B, however, that this initial downward travel of the mandrel 28 is not sufiicient to open either of the valve means 34 and 35 and that the only significant change in the tool 20 will be to disengage the lower clutch member 44. Thus, by means of the positioning means 37 of the present invention, downward motion and rotation of the tubing string 24 in these first two operating positions of the tool 20 will be effective only to set the packer 23 and close the bypass valve 21 without introducing any risk whatsoever that either of the valve means 34 and 35 might be opened prematurely by overmovement of the mandrel 28.

It will also be appreciated from FIG. 5B that further downward travel of the mandrel 28 relative to the housing 29 is not possible so long as the lower nut 54 is abutted on the housing shoulder 59. On the other hand, upward travel of the mandrel 28 is unimpeded should, for example, it be necessary to re-engage the lower clutch member 44 to apply rotation from the tubing string 24 through the housing 29 to the tools 2123.

Accordingly, in keeping with the principles of the present invention, to continue further downward travel of the mandrel 28, it is necessary to first unthread the lower mandrel threads 63 at least partway through the lower nut 54. It will be realized, of course, that unthreading rotation of the mandrel 28 would ordinarily tend to move the mandrel on downwardly and leave the lower split-nut 54 shouldered on its associated lower housing shoulder 59. It should be noted that, as a matter of operating technique, it is preferred to relieve some of the downward load on the mandrel 28 while rotating the tubing string 24. This is done by picking up the tubing string 24 somewhat but still leaving sufiicient weight on the mandrel 28 to overcome the biasing means 39 which added weight will, of course, slowly overcome the "movement-retarding means 36. Thus, a sufficient time is assured to allow the lower split-nut 54 to climb the mandrel threads 63 before the movement-retarding means 36 are overcome.

Accordingly, as best seen in FIG. C, rotation of the mandrel 28 in the appropriate direction (as shown by arrow 126) in cooperation with the movement-retarding means 36 will instead cause the lower split-nut 54 of the present invention to climb the mandrel threads 63 and leave the mandrel in substantially the same longitudinal positionas before. The nut 54 cannot, of course, rotate by virtue of the splines 56 (FIG. 4) but it will nevertheless climb the threads 63 as the mandrel 28 rotates relative to the split-nut.

Once the split-nut 54 reaches the upper limit of its travel as determined by the housing shoulder 58, further rotation of the mandrel 28 will be ineffective and the lower split-nut will only alternately expand and contract within the recess 55 until the rotation is halted. It will be understood, of sourse, that the time delay provided by the movement-retarding means 36 should be sufficient to at least enable the lower nut 54 to climb the mandrel threads 63 to its next intended position thereon before significant downward travel of the mandrel 28 can occur. It will also be understood that to keep the lower nut 54 threadedly engaged, the height of this nut plus the effective length of the mandrel threads 63 must be at least equal to the spacing between the opposed housing shoulders 58 and 59.

Once the lower nut 54 has engaged the upper shoulder 58, the mandrel 28 will again be capable of traveling further downwardly to re-engage the split-nut on its associated lower shoulder 59. The rate of this downward travel will, of course, still be governed by the movementretarding means 36. Thus, as best seen in FIG. 5D, once a sufficient length of time has elapsed, downward force (as shown by arrow 127) on the mandrel 28 in excess of the opposing upward force of the biasing means 39 will serve to carry the mandrel downwardly until the lower split-nut 54 again engages the lower housing shoulder 59. At this' point, by appropriately spacing the ports 96 and 97 in relation to the vertical height of the nut 54 and the spacing between the opposed shoulders '58 and 59, the ports of the first valve means 34 will be in registry whenever the lower nut 54 is shouldered on the lower shoulder 59 and is at its desired second position as, for example, at the top of the mandrel threads 63.

It will be realized that the free clearance above and below the lower split-nut 54 between the housing shoulders 58 and 59 in relation to the length of the mandrel threads 63 will determine the number of discrete longitudinal positions that the mandrel 28 can be placed into with respect to the housing 29. Thus, if desired, the mandrel'threads 63 could be of sufficient length to require three, four, or even more distinct steps to move the mandrel 28 from its uppermost to its lowermost position. Similarly, the spacing between the shoulders 58 and 59 in relation to'the height of the split-nut 54 will determine the incremental distance that the mandrel 28 moves downwardly during any given step. In this manner, as many discrete operating positions could be provided as circumstances might require so long as the split-nut 54 is engaged with the threads 63. Moreover, positive surface indication is always assured inasmuch as the full weight of the tubing string 24 can be supported by resting the nut 54 On the shoulder 59 at the end of each incremental position change.

In any event, once the ports 96 and 97 are open, fluid communication will be established between the well bore 25 below the seated packer 23 and, by way of the intervening tools 21 and 22, into the mandrel bore 32 and tubing string 24 thereabove. The ball valve means 35 will, however, remain closed. Thus, fluids may either be introduced from the tubing string 24, through the ports 96 and 97 and the clearance 117, and on into the well bore 25 below the packer 23 or received therefrom depending upon the nature of the completion or treating operation.

It should be realized that, if desired, the tubing string 24 can still be picked up a sufficient distance to first shoulder the lower nut 54 on its associated upper shoulder 58 (FIG. 5C) and then bring the mandrel 28 on up still further until the lower clutch member 44 is again reengaged (FIG. 5A). This latter movement is accomplished by ratcheting the mandrel threads 63 back through the lower nut 54. It will be realized, however, that once the mandrel 28 is restored to its initial position (FIG. 5A), it cannot be returned to the position depicted in FIG. 5D without again going through the above-described intervening positions depicted in FIGS. 58 and 5C. Thus, the present invention further provides means for repetitively opening and closing of the first valve means 34 without inadvertently opening the second valve means 35.

To open the second valve means 35, it is, of course, necessary to move the mandrel 28 further downwardly than permitted by the engagement of the lower split-nut 54 (as now positioned on the threads 63) with its associated lower shoulder 59 (FIG. 5D). Accordingly, as best seen in FIG. 5B, the mandrel is again rotated (as shown by arrow 128), which rotation causes the lower split-nut 54 to climb still further up the mandrel threads 63 until it is completely disengaged therefrom. The movement-retarding means 36 will again serve to prevent corresponding downward travel of the mandrel 28 until at least sufficient time has elapsed for the lower nut '54 to disengage itself from the mandrel threads 63. It will be understood, of course, that although the enlarged-diameter space 92 could be far enough up the housing 29 to deactivate the movement-retarding means 36 before the lower split-nut 54 is disengaged from the threads 63, positioning this enlargement as shown in FIG. 2B will enable the lower split-nut to climb the lower mandrel threads without the coengaging threads ever having to support the full weight of the tubing string 24.

Once the lower mandrel threads 63 are freed from the lower split-nut 54, the mandrel 28 is then free to travel on downwardly as permitted by the movement-retarding means 36. Once the upper end of the sleeve 77 clears the enlarged-diameter housing portion 92, the mandrel 28 will then move rapidly downwardly (as shown by arrow 129) into the position depicted in FIG. 5F. This sudden movement will provide a substantial jar that is easily detected at the surface. As seen in FIG. 5F, movement of the mandrel 28 into this position will simultaneously co-engage the upper mandrel threads 62 with the upper split-nut 53, move the mandrel ports 96 below the sleeve ports 97, and pivot the ball member 100 (as shown by arrow 130) into a position where its passageway 101 is coaxially aligned with the mandrel bore 32. Then, if necessary, the tubing string 24 is rotated one or two rotations to insure engagement of the upper clutch member 40. This will also provide a positive indication at the surface that the ball member 100 is open and that the mandrel 28 and housing 29 are co-rotatively secured.

It will be appreciated that to pivot the ball member 100 into its open position, the ball member must move downwardly relative to the tubular member 107 with sufficient force that the camming action of the transverse pins in the slots 116 will rotate the ball member about its pivots 105. This upward force is, of course, provided by the spring 118 which, as best seen in FIGS. SD-SF, is progressively compressed until it develops a resisting force that is sulficient to rotate the ball member 100 against the frictional forces imposed by the upper valve seat 102. Moreover, it will be realized that the spring 118 cannot develop an upwardly acting force until the lower abutment 120 has engaged the housing shoulder 94 as seen in FIGS. 5D and 5E. Then, as the mandrel 28 is moved further downwardly as seen in FIG. 5F, the spring 118 is progressively compressed to develop a correspondingly increasing upwardly directed bias through the upper abutment 119 to the shoulder 123 of the tubular member 107.

Accordingly, as the downward force 129 on the mandrel 28 increases, downward movement of the tubular member 107 will be restrained by the force of the spring 118 as the shoulder 123 tends to move the abutment 119 below the housing shoulder 122. In some instances, the resulting force of the spring 118 will be sulficient to pivot the ball member 100 before the tubular member 107 moves downwardly far enough to shift the abutment 119 below the shoulder 122. However, to emphasize the function of the spring 118 in supplying the rotational bias to the ball member 100, the abutment 119 is shown slightly below the housing shoulder 122 in FIG. F. It will also be recognized that as the ball member 100 rotates, it will move slightly downwardly into seating engagement with the lower seat 103. Thus, once the ball member 100 is rotated, the seats 102 and 103 will be tightly seated around the opposite ends of the passage 101 to prevent entrance of fluids in the mandrel bore 32 into the enlarged space 93. It will also be noted that since the ports 96 and 97 are no longer in registration, solids or fluids in the mandrel bore 32 are similarly blocked from entering the enlarged space 93.

Once the tool is in the position shown in FIG. 5F, the mandrel 28 will be prevented from traveling upwardly by the co-engagement of the upper mandrel threads 62 in the upper split-nut 53. Release of the threads 62 from the nut 53 could, of course, be accomplished by rotation of the mandrel 28 were it not for the engagement of the upper clutch member 40 which now prevents further rotation of the mandrel relative to the housing 29. Thus, once the mandrel 28 reaches its lowermost telescoped position shown in FIG. 5F, the tool 20 is locked in this position with the ball valve means 35 open and the sleeve valve means 34 closed. This will provide a substantially continuous and uninterrupted passage from the tubing string 24 for introduction of various well tools (not shown), completion fluids such as cement or fracturing fluids requiring high flow rates, and for other reasons that may be encountered during the course of typical remedial or well-completion operations. The tools 20 23 must be retrieved to the surface in order to return the mandrel 28 to its original position. To do this, the upper clutch member is quickly re eased by removing the threaded collar 43 and shifting the annular member upwardly to disengage the lugs 41 from the slots 42.

The annular spacer is, of course, employed to prevent the mandrel 28 from being picked upwardly once the ball valve 100 is opened and the upper mandrel threads 62 have become engaged with the upper split-nut 53 as shown in FIG. 5F. It will be appreciated, therefore, that by omitting this spacer 60, the mandrel 28 could be moved upwardly a suflicient distance to disengage the lugs 41 from their receptive slots 42. This movement would, however, be insufficient to allow either the ball member 100 to be rotated back into its closed position or for the ports 96 and 97 to realign as shown in FIG. 515 so long as the mandrel 28 was not rotated. Yet, once the lugs 41 'were free of their slots 42, the mandrel 28 could be rotated sufliciently to disengage the upper splitnut 53 from the mandrel threads 62 and permitthe valve means 34 and 35 to be alternately opened and closed as many times as desired between the positions shown in FIGS. 5E and SF. Moreover, with the spacer 60 omitted, once the mandrel 28 is rotated sufliciently to disengage the upper split-nut 53 from the upper mandrel threads 62, the mandrel could also be returned to any of the positions shown in FIGS. 5A-5D as well.

Omission of the spacer 60 is not too desirable, however, where the bypass valve 21 and packer 23 are of the types described above with reference to FIG. 1. For example, following a so-called squeeze job, it is almost essential to rapidly flush-out the excess cement remaining in the tubing string 24 by applying pressure to the well control fluids in the well annulus 25 and forcing these fluids up into the lower end of the tubing string and on upwardly therein. Access to the tubing string 24 is typically gained by either unseating the packer 23 or, as a last resort, opening the bypass valve 21 should the packer not be readily unseated. It will be realized, of course, that in either event, the ball valve means 35 must be left open to permit a high flow rate of these fluids to be maintained. With bypass valves and packers of the types described, however, the tubing string 24 usually must be at least partially rotated and then picked up with considerable force to either open the bypass valve 21 or unseat the packer 23. These motions could, therefore, serve to reclose the ball valve means 35 and prevent the desired flushing operation if either the packer 2:3 or bypass valve 21 were not completely free of foreign matter and readily movable. Thus, unless the packer 23 and bypass valve 21 are of a style requiring only a straight upward pull to unseat the packer or open the bypass valve, it is preferred to include the spacer 60 so that the ball member will unquestionably remain securely locked in its open position once the tool 20 is moved into the position depicted in FIG. 5F.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a partial view is shown of another tool 200 that is similar to the tool 20 in most respects and differs therefrom in only a few significant respects which differences are shown in the aforementioned copending application (22,429). As will subsequently become apparent, the tool 200 functions in subtantially the same manner as the tool 20 except that the mandrel 201 in the tool 200 can be restored to its initial extended position relative to its associated housing 202 after a ball member therebelow (not shown in FIG. 6) similar to ball 100 in the tool 20 is opened and without reclosing the ball member.

To accomplish this, the tool 200 is not equipped with either an upper clutch member or an upper split-nut as are used with the tool 20. This, of course, will allow the mandrel 201 to be rotated relative to the housing 202 after the ball member (not shown) is opened. In addition, the mandrel 201 is somewhat longer than the mandrel 28 and is comprised of an upper section 203 that is releasably secured at its lower end by suitably arranged latch means 204 to the upper end of a lower mandrel section 205. As for the upper mandrel section 203, it is substantially like the mandrel 28 from its upper end down to a point just below that portion which engages O-ring 83 (FIG. 2C) when the mandrel 28 is in its elevated position. The other mandrel section 205is substantially like the remainder of the mandrel 28 from a point just above the mandrel ports 96. Thus, in effect, the mandrel 201 can he considered like the mandrel 28 with the separated ends and latch means 204 being just above the mandrel ports 96. The housing 202 is substantially the same as housing 29 except that the housing 202 is somewhat longer to accommodate the latch means 204.

Generally speaking, the mandrel 201 functions in the same manner as the mandrel 28 to initially open the ports (corresponding to ports 96 and 97) which are not shown in FIG. 6 but are immediately below an O-ring (not shown but just below the shoulder 206) that fluidly seals the lower mandrel section 205 to the housing 202. Similarly, the ball member on below these ports is opened in the same manner as the ball member 100. Once the ball member is rotated to its o en position, however, the latch means 204 are disengaged from the upper mandrel section 203 and now function to releasably receive the lower mandrel section 205 to the housing 202 so that the ball member will remain open and to allow the upper mandrel section 203 to be returned to its initial extended position. It will be realized that the lower split-nut (not shown in FIG. 6) and lower mandrel threads (not: shown in FIG. 6) are arranged to permit the upper mandrel section 203 to be pulled upwardly without rotation.

Once the upper mandrel section is returned to its initial extended position, the lower clutch member (corresponding to member 44) re-engages the splines (corresponding to splines 49) to again co-rotatively secure the mandrel 15 section 203 to the housing 202. In this manner, the tubing string 24 can again transmit torque through the tool 200 to operate the tools therebelow as, for example, would be necessary to reopen the bypass valve 21 and to unseat the packer 23 arranged as shown in FIG. 1. Once the tools 21-23 are operated as, for example, to reposition the tools and reset the packer, the mandrel section 203 can be reconnected by the latch means 204 to the lower mandrel section 205 to reclose the ball valve. It will be appreciated, of course, that the lower split-nut (corresponding to nut 54) will require the mandrel section 203 to be progressively lowered and rotated through the same sequence as previously described with reference to FIGS. A5F before it can be relatched to the lower mandrel section 205.

The latch means 204 are arranged to accomplish the selective coupling of the lower mandrel section 205 to either the housing 202 or the upper mandrel section 203 as desired by telescopically fitting the lower portion of the upper mandrel section into the upper portion of the lower mandrel section. A shoulder or enlarged-diameter portion 207 on the upper mandrel section 203 abuts the upper end 208 of the lower mandrel section 205 so that when the mandrel sections are coupled together, downward loads can be transmitted to the lower section. The upper portion of the lower mandrel section 205 is provided with a number of circumferentially spaced lateral openings 209 which respectively receive a ball member 210. These ball members 210 are appropriately selected to have a diameter slightly greater than the wall thickness of that portion of the lower mandrel section 205 through which the lateral openings 209 are formed.

When the tool 200 is in the position shown in FIGS. 6-8, the immediately adjacent inner wall of the housing 202 is closely spaced from the outer surface of the lower mandrel section 205. Thus, each of the balls 210 will partially project radially inwardly toward the outer surface of the lower portion of the upper mandrel section 202 and each will be partially received in an adjacent recess 211 formed therein by a corresponding number of cords or flats 212 of limited height cut at circumferentially spaced intervals into the adjacent surface of the upper mandrel section.

Accordingly, as will be appreciated from FIGS. 6 and 8, the close fit of the mandrel sections 203 and 205 with one another and in the housing 202 will cause the balls 210 to latch the mandrel sections to one another so long as the flats 212 are opposite the openings 209 and prevent both relative rotation and longitudinal movement therebetween without hampering relative rotation or longitudinal movement of the mandrel 201 with respect to the housing. T hus, so long as the mandrel sections 203 and 205 are latched together, the mandrel 201 will operate as a unit in the same manner as mandrel 28. This will, of course, permit the mandrel 201 to be operated through the same sequence as the mandrel 28 as previously illustrated in FIGS. 5A5E.

When the mandrel 201 is moved into the position corresponding to that shown for the mandrel 28 in FIG. 5F, the openings 209 and balls 210 are then adjacent to a circumferential groove 213 formed around the inner surface of the housing 202. Thus, by rotating the mandrel 201 clockwise, the upper mandrel section 203 will rotate relative to the lower mandrel section 205 and, as the full diameter of the upper mandrel section comes into registration with the openings 209, force the balls 210 radially outwardly and into partial reception in the circumferential groove 213. It will be appreciated that the upward force of the spring (as at 118) as well as the frictional restraint of the various O-rings on the lower mandrel section 205 with the housing 202 will be sufficient to permit the upper mandrel section 203 to be rotated relative thereto at this time. To limit their relative rotation, the abutting surfaces at 207 and 208 are cooperatively keyed to one another as by upwardly extending fingers 214 loosely received in much wider arcuate slots or recesses 215 (FIG. 7) in the shoulder 207. Thus, it will always be possible to recouple the mandrel sections 203 and 205 in the proper orientation to assure the proper cooperation of the flats 212 with the lateral openings 209.

Once the flats 212 are moved out of registration with the lateral openings 209, the lower mandrel section 205 will then be secured to the housing 202 by the balls 210. With the mandrel section 205 secured in this manner, the ball valve will be held open and the ports (neither shown in FIG. 6) will be closed (as in FIG. 5F) so that the upper mandrel section 203 can be returned to its initial elevated position. It will be appreciated that the upper mandrel section 203 is of an appropriate length that its lower portion that is telescoped into the lower section 205 will always be adjacent to the lateral openings 209 so as to hold the balls 210' outwardly and in place in the circumferential groove 213.

To recouple the mandrel sections 203 and 205, the upper mandrel section can be returned only by being manipulated through the same sequence as already described in relation to FIGS. 5A-5F. Once, however, the upper mandrel section 203 is again in its telescoped position, it is necessary only to rotate it in the reverse direction (counterclockwise) to re-engage the latch :means 204, by bringing the flats 212 back into registration with the lateral openings 209 and balls 210. With the flats 212 again in position, upward movement of the upper mandrel section 203 will recouple it through the latch means 204 to the lower mandrel section 205 so that the ball valve can be reclosed and the mandrel 201 moved onto either its intermediate position or its upwardmost extended position.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the tool 200 can be operated through several sequences during a single trip into the well bore 25 rather than being limited to only a single sequence as is the case with the tool 20. This added flexibility provided by the latch means 204 will have primary utility where a given well bore requires a number of completion operations at different depths. It will be recognized, of course, that the tool 200 can be employed with any type of packer or bypass valve and is not limited in its operation as is the tool 20.

The tool 20 (either with or without the spacer 60) and the tool 200 as described to this point are capable of performing any completion or testing operation except for measuring so-called downhole or bottom pressures. Inasmuch as it is essential to have a full-opening bore through the tools, as at 32 in the tool 20, for most if not all completion operations, it is necessary to provide means for releasably securing pressure-measuring devices in or just below the tools 20 or 200 in such a manner that these devices can be selectively released and returned to the surface when a full'opening bore is needed. Heretofore, pressure-measuring devices have been releasably connected to full-opening tools as, for example, respectively shown on opposite sides of page 3057 of the aforementioned Composite Catalog.

Although such tools as illustrated in the above-mentioned catalog have been successfully employed, there have been occasions where the releasable section (shown on the left of page 3057) is too long to freely pass through a corkscrewed tubing string. Similarly, the complexity of the releasing mechanism of this releasable section has been known to fail for one reason or another so that the entire tubing string and string of tools must be retrieved in order to release the center section.

Accordingly, selectively releasable barrier means, such as a pressure-measuring device 300, are shown in FIG. 9 which are free of the disadvantages mentioned above. Although the pressure-measuring device 300 is shown in position in the tool 20, it will be understood, of course, that this device could just as well be employed with the tool 200. These barrier means 300 are also fully described in the aforementioned copending application and are shown here only to illustrate another embodiment of a 17 tool employing the position-establishing means 37 of the present invention.

As seen in FIG. 9, the pressure-measuring device 300 is comprised of a support body 301 connected to the upper end of one or more typical pressure recorders 302 therebelow. The pressure-measuring device 300 is supported below the ball member 100 by means such as two or more outwardly extending shoulders 303 on the body 301 that are adapted to rest on an upwardly facing tapered seat 304 formed in the internal bore of a tubular sub 305 appropriately connected to the threads 33 at the lower end of the housing 29. It will be appreciated, of course, that the maximum transverse dimensions of the shoulders 303 must be at least slightly less than the internal diameter of either the ball member passage 101 or the mandrel bore 32 (FIGS. 2A-2C) to allow the pressure-measuring device 300 to pass freely therethrough as well as on through the tubing string 24. Similarly, no portion of the pressure-measuring means 300 below the shoulders 303 can have a transverse dimension that would prevent its passage past the inwardly projecting seat 304.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the pressuremeasuring device 300 will be trapped between the ball member 100 and the seat 304 so long as the selectively operable blocking means or ball member is in its closed position. Inasmuch as the passage 101 is preferably the same diameter as the mandrel bore 32, once the ball member 100 is in its open position, however, the pressuremeasuring device 300 is no longer trapped below the ball member and can be returned to the surface, by, for example, applying pressure to the annulus fluids and reverse circulating them through the bypass valve 21 (or around the unseated packer 23) and back up through the bottom of the tool 20. Similarly, when either the spacer 60 (FIG. 2A) is not in the tool 20 or the tool 200 is employed, once the pressure-measuring device 300 is at the surface, it or other like devices could be returned through the tubing string 24 to the position shown in FIG. 9 and the ball member 100 reclosed to again trap the device.

It is preferred to extend the support body 301 upwardly and terminate it with suitable coupling means such as a fishing neck 306. The upright body 301 is extended upwardly so that the fishing neck 306 will be near to but spaced just below the bottom surface of the ball member 100 when that member is in its lowermost position. This minimum separation limits the distance that the pressure-measuring device 300 can shift due to fluid flow so long as the ball member 100 is closed.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that so long as the valve means 34 and 35 are closed, the pressure recorder or recorders 302 will be measuring the so-called shutin pressure of the well. Moreover, whenever the ports 96 and 97 are opened (FIG. B), the recorder and recorders 302 will then measure the pressure of the well as it is flowing. Once the ball member 100 is opened, however, the pressure-measuring device 300 is free and can be returned to the surface through the ball passage 101 either by flowing well bore or formation fluids up through the tool 20 or by connecting suitable retrieving devices to the fishing neck 306 on the upright body member 301. As already mentioned, it will be seen that once the pressure-measuring device 300 is removed from the tool 20 (or tool 200"), a continuous full-opening passage is provided to the well bore 15 below the packer 23 with the ball member 100 being opened to remove the only other barrier remaining therein.

Turning now to FIGS. 10 and 11A-11C, still another Well tool 400 also employing the principles of the present invention is shown. This tool 400 is arranged to be employed as shown in FIG. 10 in conjunction with a string of full-bore tools 401-404 such as all of those shown on page 3057 of the aforementioned Composite Catalog to serve as a so-called reverse-circulating valve. As is well known in the art, once a testing operation is completed, the tubing string, as at 405 in FIG. 10, will quite often contain inflammable formation fluids. To prevent spilling such fluids on the floor of the derrick or rig as the various portions or stands of the tubing string 405 are removed and thereby creating a possible fire hazard, it is usually preferred to flush these fluids out of the tubing string before the tubing string is retrieved. To accomplish this, the fluids in the well bore, as at 406, are. pressured and, by opening the tool 400 (or any other reverse-circulating valve), can be flowed back up through the tubing string 405 until all formation fluids are safely disposed of. Then, as the stands of the tubing string 405 are successively removed, whatever well bore fluids that are left in the tubing string will drain out of the still-open reverse-circulating valve and back into the well bore.

As already discussed, the number of manipulations required to operate some or all of the tools 401-404 may be so great that it is difiicult to selectively operate others in the same string. It will be quite evident, for example, that it is not at all desirable to open the reverse-circulating valve 400 until after the tools 401-404 have performed a particular operation. Accordingly, the tool 400 of the present invention is so arranged that it cannot be inadvertently opened but yet does not require tedious manipulations to be opened when desired.

As seen in FIG. 10, the full-bore packer 404 is arranged at the lower end of the string of tools 400-403 for selectively packing-off the well bore 406. The hydraulic holddown 403 and bypass valve 402 are also arranged in the same manner as their counterparts in FIG. 1. Connected at the upper end of the tools 402-404 is a testing tool 401 as shown on opposite sides of page 3057 of the 1960-61 Composite Catalog of Field Equipment and Services. Although the tools 401-404 may be those shown in this catalog, other tools of a similar nature may, of course, be used in conjunction with the tool 400.

Turning now to FIGS. llA-l 1C, successive elevational views (partially in cross-section) are shown of the tool 400. The tool 400 is comprised of a tubular mandrel 407 telescopically disposed within a tubular housing 408 and arranged for selective movement therein between an extended position as shown in FIGS. llA-l 1C and a fully telescope-d position. A coupling 409 on the upper end of the mandrel 407 is provided for coupling the tool 400 to the tubing string 405 (FIG. 10), with the central bore 410 (FIGS. 11A-11C) of the mandrel having substantially the same internal diameter as that of the tubing string. Similarly, threads 411 (FIG. 11C) on the lower end of the housing 408 are arranged for coupling the tool 400 to the other well tools 401-404 therebelow seen in FIG. 10.

In general, the tool 400 includes valve means 412 (FIG. 11C) that are selectively opened and closed by shifting the mandrel 407 between its two longitudinal positions with respect to the housing 408. For establishing these longitudinal positions, clutch means 413 are as sociated with movement-retarding means 414 (FIG. 11B) and selectively operable positioning means 415 (FIG. 11A). Pressure-balancing means 416 (FIG. 11C) are provided to equalize pressure forces acting on the mandrel 407 and the housing 408.

Turning now to FIG. 11A, the uppermost portion of the tool 400 is shown. As seen there, the clutch means 413- are arranged to permit free rotation of the mandrel 407 relative to the housing 408 when the mandrel is in its lowermost or telescoped position and to co-rotatively secure these two members when the mandrel is in its uppermost or extended position relative to the housing. The clutch means 413 are comprised of an inwardly projecting housing lug 417 that is confined in a slot 418 formed in the adjacent outer surface of an enlarged-diameter portion 419 of the mandrel 407 in a configuration that may be likened somewhat to a reversed J. It

will be appreciated, therefore, that with this configuration of the slot 418, the mandrel 407 will be secured in the position shown in FIGS. 11A11C against downward movement relative to the housing 408 so long as the lug 417 is confined in the enclosed upper end of the shorter substantially vertical portion 420 of the ]-slot. By picking up on the mandrel 407 sufficiently to bring the lower end of the shorter slot portions 420 up and into alignment with the stationary lug 417, the mandrel may then be turned counterclockwise through an arc sulficient to shift a short transverse or generally horizontal slot portion 421 across the housing lug and bring the lower end of a somewhat longer, substantially vertical portion 422 of the ]-slot 418 into registration with the lug. Then, once the housing lug 417 is in the lower end of this longer portion 422 of the J-slot 418, the mandrel 407 is free to travel downwardly until it is halted by the engagement of the lug with a shoulder 423 such as that provided by the lower face of the coupling 409. It will be understood, of course, that the vertical distance between the upper end of the slot portion 420 and the shoulder 422 will be equal to the desired spacing between the two positions of the mandrel 407 in relation to the housing 408.

Although the various slot portions 420422 may be substantially uniform in width, it is preferred to incline one side 424 of the slot portion 420 downwardly and toward the junction of the slot portions 421422 in the manner depicted so that picking up of the mandrel 407 in conjunction with application of left-hand torque to the mandrel will quickly bring the lower end of the longer slot portion 422 over into alignment with the stationary housing lug 417. Similarly, when the mandrel 407 is being returned from its telescoped position to its extended position, the inclined surface 424 will be of assistance in assuring that the housing lug 417 enters the shorter enclosed slot portion 420.

It will be noted in FIG. 11A that the upper end of the longer slot portion 422 extends to the top of the enlarged mandrel portion 419 so that once the mandrel 407 reaches a position somewhat lower than its position shown in FIGS. 11A11C, the housing lug 417 will no longer be confined within the J-slot 418. Thus, once the housing lug 417 is clear of the J-slot 418, the mandrel 407 can be freely rotated with respect to the housing 408 so long as it is in or near its fully telescoped position relative thereto.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that so long as the mandrel 407 is in its extended position (as seen in FIGS. 11Al1C) in relation to the housing 408, the mandrel is co-rotatively secured thereto by the clutch means or J-slot arrangement 413. Downward movement of the mandrel 407 toward its telescoped position with respect to the housing 408 will, however, release the housing lug 417 from the ]-slot 418 and allow the mandrel to be rotated relative to the housing.

The position-establishing means 415 shown in FIG. 11A are substantially similar to those previously described and are comprised of radially expansible gripping means such as a segmented split-nut 425 disposed in the annular clearance space 426 between the mandrel 407 and the housing 408. The split-nut 425 is co-rotatively secured to the housing 408 in the same manner as shown in FIG. 4 by external splines 42 7 on each of the segments that are slidably received in longitudinal grooves 428 formed in the internal wall of the housing. The grooves 428 extend from just above an inwardly directed housing shoulder 429 to a point somewhat below the housing lug 417. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the split-nut 425 is free to travel longitudinally relative to the housing 408 between the shoulder 429 and the housing shoulder 430 as defined by the upper end of the spline grooves 428.

When the mandrel 407 is in its extended position as shown in FIGS 11A-11C, downwardly facing buttress threads 431 on the mandrel are arranged to engage the upwardly directed threads in the split-nut 425 and support the nut a predetermined distance above the lower housing shoulder 429. Thus, so long as the split-nut 425 is threadedly engaged with the mandrel threads 431, the mandrel 407 can be moved longitudinally upwardly a distance equal to the spacing between the bottom of the housing lug 417 and the bottom of the grooves 420 and 421. Similarly, with the split-nut 425 in the position shown, the mandrel 407 can be moved downwardly a distance equal to the spacing between the bottom surface of the split-nut and the housing shoulder 429. It will be noted, however, that although the normal spacing between the split-nut 425 and the housing shoulder 429 is adequate to allow the mandrel 407 to move sufficiently to release the housing lug 417 from the J-slot 418, this spacing is not great enough to permit the mandrel shoulder 423 to move far enough downwardly to engage the top of the housing 408. Accordingly, the mandrel 407 cannot be moved to its fully telescoped position so long as the split-nut 425 is threadedly engaged with the mandrel threads 431.

For reasons that will subsequently become apparent, the mandrel threads 431 and the complementary threads in the split-nut 425 are preferably so-called right-hand threads so that clockwise rotation of the mandrel 407 (by way of the tubing string 405) will serve to unthread the mandrel threads on through the split-nut and release the mandrel therefrom. It should also be noted that although rotation is required to disengage the mandrel threads 431 from the split-nut 425, they can be readily re-engaged merely by picking the mandrel 407 straight upwardly to first shoulder the split-nut on the upper housing shoulder 430 and then allow the mandrel threads to ratchet freely back into the split-nut. It will be appreciated that at this time the housing lug 417 will be engaged with the bottom of the slot portion 421 to keep the mandrel threads 431 from ratcheting on through and out of threaded engagement with the split-nut 425.

So far as the tool 400 has been described, the mandrel 407 is substantially co-rotatively secured to the housing 407 until the mandrel is moved downwardly a sufficient distance to bring the housing lug 417 completely out of the J-slot 418. At this point, the mandrel 407 is free to rotate relative to the housing 408 but cannot move further downwardly to its fully telescoped position since the split-nut 425 is then engaged on the lower housing shoulder 429. Thus, once the mandrel 407 is in this intermediate position, it must be rotated sufliciently to disengage the mandrel threads 431 from the split-nut 425. Once the mandrel threads 431 are disengaged from the split-nut 425, however, the mandrel 407 is, of course, free to move on downwardly to its fully telescoped position in relation to the housing 408.

Turning now to FIG. 11B, the movement-retarding means 414 are seen. Inasmuch as the means 414 function in the same manner as those already described with respect to the tools 20 and 200, it is necessary only to point out that the speed of any downward travel of the mandrel 407 is regulated by the time required to displace a hydraulic fluid from the lower fluid-tight space 422 through the minute annular clearance 433 between a sleeve 434 and the housing 408 and into the upper fluid tight space 435 above the sleeve. As already explained with respect to the tools 20 and 200, flow through the slightly larger annular clearance 436 between the sleeve 434 and the mandrel 407 is blocked by the seating of the upper end of the sleeve with a seating surface provided by the lower face of a mandrel shoulder 437. Upward travel of the mandrel 407 is also not materially affected since the hydraulic fluid can return from the upper space 435 to the lower fluid-tight space 432 by way of both annular clearances 433 and 436. It should be noted that, if desired, the minute annular clearance 433 can be relieved by slightly enlarging the housing bore, as at 438, to speed the downward travel of the mandrel 407 once the nut 425 has been disengaged and the upper end of the sleeve 434 has reached the enlargement 438.

Turning now to FIG. 11C, the lowermost portion of the tool 400 is shown in which are located the valve means 412 and the pressure-balancing means 416. The internal diameter of this portion of the housing 408 is preferably increased to provide an enlarged bore, as at 439, below the lower fluid-tight space 432. O-rings 440 (FIG. 11B) and 441 (FIG. 11C) above and below the enlarged housing bore 439 fluidly seal the mandrel 407 in relation to thehousing 408 and seal the opposite ends of the enlarged housing bore 439.

The mandrel 407 is enlarged, as at 442, and arranged to carry a suitable fluid seal 443 that is slidably engaged with the internal wall of the enlarged housing bore 439. One or more lateral ports 444 are provided in the enlarged mandrel portion 442 just above the mandrel sealing member 443 to provide fluid communication between the mandrel bore 410 and that portion of the enlarged housing bore 439 between the sealing members 440 and 443. Similarly, one or more lateral ports 445 are provided through the housing 408 at a point below the mandrel sealing member 443 and ports 444 when the mandrel 407 is in its normal extended position.

It will be appreciated that when the mandrel 407 is in its extended position as shown in FIGS. llA-llC, the longitudinal spacing between the ports 444 and 445 is substantially equal to the longitudinal spacing between the closed upper end of the slot portion 420 and the shoulder 423 (FIG. 11A). Thus, whenever the mandrel 407, is in its normal extended position (as seen in FIGS. 11A- 11C), the ports 444 and 445 are longitudinally spaced apart and the mandrel sealing member 443 blocks fluid communication between the ports to isolate the mandrel bore 410 from the exterior of the tool 400. Similarly, the ports 444 and 445 are sufficiently spaced that so long as the split-nut 425 (FIG. 11A) is connected to the mandrel threads 431, the engagement of the nut with the housing shoulder 429 will keep the sealing member 443 between the ports. Thus, the ports 444 and 445 cannot be placed into communication with one another until the mandrel threads 431 are disengaged from the split-nut 425 and the mandrel 407 is free to be moved into its fully telescoped position relative to the housing 408.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that with the tool 400 in the position depicted in FIGS. 11A11C, fluid communication between the ports 444 and 445 is blocked by the sealing member 443. Moreover, even though the mandrel 407 may be moved down to an intermediate position by the usual manipulations of the tubing string 405 during the course of actuating the tools 401-404, the ports 444 and 445 are positively isolated from one another and cannot in any manner be placed into communication until the mandrel 407 is deliberately manipulated in a manner calculated to bring it into its fully telescoped position.

It will be realized, of course, from the preceding discussion that before the mandrel 407 can be moved into its fully telescoped position, it must first be manipulated to bring the housing lug 417 out of the J-slot 418. Then, before the mandrel 407 can continue from this intermediate position (as determined by the shouldering of the split-nut 425 with the shoulder 429) to its fully telescoped position, the mandrel must be rotated so as to release the mandrel threads 431 from the split-nut 425 and then lowered the remaining distance. However, even though the mandrel 407 can be freely rotated when it reaches this intermediate position, it cannot be moved further downwardly except as allowed by the movement-retarding means 414. Thus, in the same manner as previously described with respect to the tools 20 and 200, the move ment-retarding means 414 will make it essential to maintain a downward force on the mandrel 407 for a predetermined time interval sufiicient to overcome the movement-retarding means before the mandrel can reach its fully telescoped position.

Those skilled in the art will realize that unless the tool 400 is properly arranged, the mandrel 407 could be restrained, if not totally prevented, from moving relative to the housing 408 by unbalanced pressure forces imposed by the well bore fluids. Accordingly, to prevent this, the pressure-balancing means 416 are provided and include the O-ring 441 and the inwardly directed housing shoulder 446 carrying this sealing member. By making the annular cross-sectional area of this shoulder 446 equal to the external or full cross-sectional area of the mandrel 407, it will be realized that when the mandrel is empty (as, for example, while the testing tool 401 is closed and the tools 400-404 are first being lowered into the well bore 406), the forces from the hydrostatic pressure acting through the ports 445 on the shoulder 446 as well as those acting on the top and bottom of the housing 408 will be balanced with respect to one another. Thus, there is no unbalanced force that would otherwise tend to telescope the mandrel 407 or housing 408 or prevent their relative movement.

If particular details are desired of the arrangement of the tools shown in FIG. 10, a copending application Serial No. 423,021, filed January 4, 1965, now Patent No. 3,329,209, includes schematic drawings depicting the various J-slot arrangements of the tools 401, 402 and 404. The tool 401 may, of course, be similar to either that shown in the above-mentioned Composite Catalog or to that shown in the above-mentioned patent without aflecting the operation of the tool 400 of the present invention. In either event, for the purpose of explaining the operation of the tool 400, it will be assumed that the tools 401-404 are generally like those shown in the abovementioned patent.

Accordingly, once the tools 400-404 are in position in the well bore 406, the packer 404 is set and the bypass valve 402 closed by picking up slightly on the tubing string 405, turning it slightly in a cloclcwise direction, and then slacking off the weight of the tubing string until the packer is fully set. Thereafter, the test valve (not shown in the present application) in the tool 401 may be opened and closed as desired by moving the tool 401 between its testing and shut-in positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively of the above-mentioned patent. It will be appreciated that to this point, the tubing string 405 would not require a manipulation that could inadvertently unthread the split-nut 425 from the mandrel threads 431. Thus, although the mandrel 407 may well be moved to its intermediate position .as the tool 401 is moved from its testing position to its shut-in position, the tool 400 will not have been opened.

Once the tool 401 is in its shut-in position, it may be desired to open the tool 400 so as to reverse out any formation fluids still in the tubing string 405. To do this, the tubing string 405 is picked up, torqued to the left, and then lowered to free the housing lug 417 from the J-slot 418. With this done, the mandrel 407 can now be rotated relative to the housing 408 which is now fixed relative to the well bore 406 by the seated p acket 404. Right-hand rotation of the tubing string 405 in concert with a downward force will maintain the testing tool 401 in its shut-in position and permit the mandrel 407 to be rotated. Inasmuch as the movement-retarding means 414 will slow downward travel of the mandrel 407, the splitnut 425 will climb the mandrel threads 431 in the same fashion as in the tools 20 and 200. Then, with the nut 425 free of the threads 431, once the movement-retarding means 414 have been finally overcome, the mandrel 407 will move on into its fully telescoped position and the ports 444 and 445 will be in communication. If desired, the ports 444 and 445 can be reclosed merely by picking up on the tubing string 405 and returning the mandrel 407 to its initial extended position. In this event, the mandrel threads 431 .will, of course, easily ratchet through the split-nut 425. 

